If I Could
by Jenn992
Summary: Ginger moves on to a whole new life, and someone's suffering withdrawals from all the new changes, Carl is hanging around someone he should stay away from, Darren finds someone extremely unexpected to sympathize with, Orion may have a big secret, & more.


**[Author's Note: I just re-watched the whole series over and now I'm obsessed with it. I hope whoever's still into this show likes this!]  
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><p><strong> If I Could <strong>**  
><strong>_By: Jenn992_

**CHAPTER ONE**:  
>"Speaking of the Devil"<p>

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><p><em>Ginger and Orion were happily walking hand and hand in the early evening. They strolled through the calm park with bright smiles on their faces. They stopped at a secluded place in the park. The spot was known to be one of the most romantic places in the city. Bright, beautiful flowers surrounded them, Christmas lights snaked around the trunks of the trees that turned on when it was dark, and a small waterfall with a pond under it surrounded the spot. Orion hugged Ginger close to him and gave her a gentle kiss, to which she replied with the same. He pulled away and knelt in front of her.<em>

_"Ginger, I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Orion stuck his hand in his pocket and took out a small, felt box. "Ginger, my love." Orion opened the box and the shiniest ring glinted from the sunset. "Will you marry me?"_

"NOOO!"

Darren found himself sitting upright on his bed, sweating up a storm. His heart was beating heavily, so he took big breaths to calm down. He couldn't, so he got up and starting putting on his jeans. He wanted to go to Ginger's room. It was the only place that calmed him down after he had bad dreams. Darren stopped getting dressed after he glanced out his window into the window next door. He sighed and leaned against the wall, still looking out the window. He had forgotten that the window next door didn't belong to Ginger anymore. He saw Courtney trying to do some sort of yoga in her room. Darren sat back down on his bed. He didn't think he would have such a hard time adjusting to Ginger moving. It had been weeks since then and Darren still found himself climbing up to her window. He wanted space from Ginger and got exactly what he wished for. He couldn't understand what he was feeling. One thing he knew, he wanted to take it all back, he wanted his Ginger back.

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><p>"So, are tonight's plans a-go?" Ginger asked as she strolled around the hallway at Lucky High with Dodie and Macie.<p>

"Yup! I have the food for tonight at my house, so we need to stop by there first." Dodie enthusiastically replied as she rummaged through her locker.

"I hope you got the soy chips, they're better for my digestion, y'know." Macie added.

"I did, don't worry, and who's coming again, Ginger?" Dodie asked.

"Let's see, besides us, it's Orion and I think Courtney mentioned she wanted to come." Ginger said as she pushed open the school doors.

"Courtney? Well, I hope food without caviar and lobster would suffice for her." Macie said.

"Courtney's allergic to lobster, remember? The whole making-Ginger-into-Courtney-to-impress-the-Senator's-son fiasco about three years ago." Dodie exclaimed.

"That was three years ago? It really doesn't seem it's been that long..." Ginger said with a sad tone.

"Yeah it was now that I think about it, time's a' changing, sister!" Macie exclaimed.

Ginger looked up and saw in a distance Simone hugging Darren's arm as they walked along. For a moment, Ginger thought Darren looked sad, but decided to shake the thought off.

"Yeah, a lot of things changed..." Ginger added as she still stared at Darren, who looked back at that moment. He smiled and was about to wave, but Ginger looked away.

"So, did I tell you guys Orion got his driver's license?" Ginger asked and the girls squealed in reply. Dodie started naming all the possibilities that were available to them now they had a ride of their own. Ginger looked back and saw that Darren was still staring at her with a look that could possibly break someone's heart. Ginger looked away again. He wasn't going to ruin her life again. No matter how much it hurt her, she had to push Darren away. Just thinking about it made her eyes water a bit.

"Hey, uhh, guys? I need to take care of something at home first, I'll just meet you guys there later." Ginger asked as she started walking in the other direction.

"But Ginger!" Dodie started to protest, but Ginger was already some distance away.

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><p>"What do you think is up with her?" Macie asked as her and Dodie walked to Dodie's house.<p>

"I don't know, maybe she wants some alone time with Orion before we get there." Dodie joked and slightly nudged Macie.

"It does seem like they have been closer lately." Macie added.

"Yeah, probably closer than her and Darren ever were." Dodie said.

"Hey, guys."

Dodie and Macie turned around and there was Darren, who gave a small wave.

"Speaking of the devil." Macie muttered.

"Uhh, hey, Darren." Dodie asked facing forward again. After a moment of silence, Darren broke the silence.

"Uhh, yeah, just thought I'd say hey to my two best friends." Darren said as he put a hand on each of their shoulders.

"'Best friends'? Darren, we haven't talked to you in months." Dodie exclaimed still walking along and shaking his hand off her shoulder.

"I-uh, we've just been... busy with stuff, y'know? You, Dodie with the pep squad and you Macie with band, and me with-"

"Your glorious football team and fabulous cheerleader girlfriend you love so much, yes, Darren, we know." Macie coldly stated.

"Okay, what's with the attitude? I just wanted to say hey, and you guys are treating me like I'm a different person!" Darren loudly exclaimed.

"You ARE a different person, Darren." Dodie finally faced him and furrowed her brow.

"No, I'm not. I'm still me! I-"

"You use to hate the type of guy you've become." Macie cut him off and crossed her arms.

"What? I haven't-"

"You use to mock Will all the time, how he always talked about his football victories and how he cared so much about how clean his shoes were, which... you do now." Dodie added. Darren looked down at his blindingly white sneakers.

"Face it, Darren, you're not the same Darren we know, or knew. Not the same Darren Ginger knew either." Macie said and started walking away.

"Mace... I..." Darren uttered.

"I'm really sorry, Darren. Please don't tell Simone about this!" Dodie added and ran to catch up with Macie.

"But... I'm still Darren." He wondered whether he was trying to convince them... or himself.

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><p>Ginger closed the front door and hung her coat on the coat rack. She tried to quickly hurry up to her room for fear of her mom asking what was up, but her fear was realized.<p>

"Hey, Ginge, I thought the gang was coming over? I was making the salsa you asked for." Lois said.

"Uhh, yeah, they're not coming until later." Ginger quickly said and tried to hurry to her room, but her mom spoke again.

"Hey, kiddo, are you alright? Where are you off to in such a rush?" She asked.

"I just, uhh, forgot I had some homework to do." Ginger replied.

"On a Friday afternoon? Okay, Ginge, come down here and tell me what's up." Lois firmly said, walked over to the living room, and sat on the couch. Ginger slowly made her way over to couch.

"Well, okay, it's like this, there's this thing that I really miss, but I can't have that thing anymore because that thing changed into a completely different thing. But I don't know why I still want to have how this thing use to be when I have this other thing that's really great." Ginger tried to explain.

"Well, answer this, kiddo. What would make you happier having, how the first thing use to be or the thing you have now that's really great?" Lois asked.

"I don't know..." Ginger groaned as she face planted into the couch. "And there's another problem. I feel guilty wanting how the first thing use to be while I have the other thing that's really great. It's not fair to the thing that's really great, but I'm afraid if I tell the thing that's really great about how I feel, I would lose it forever, then I'd be alone. So, I feel like I have to push away the first thing and how it use to be so I can focus on and be happy with the thing that I have now that's really great."

"Okay, Ginge, I barely understood all that. Could we use names here?" Lois asked.

"No..." Ginger groaned again.

"Kiddo, you can't force yourself to like something. Hiding your true feelings isn't right either." Lois stood up and started walking away. "You're going to have to talk to Darren sooner or later."

"Mom, I never said it was-" Ginger tried to defend herself but her mom was already in another room. Ginger plopped back down on the couch.

"How does she always know?" Ginger asked herself.

"She has psychic powers, I keep telling you." Carl was leaning in the living room door frame eating an unknown item.

"Carl, get out!" Ginger said with an irritated tone.

"Will do." Carl saluted Ginger and wandered somewhere else. Ginger groaned while face planting into the couch again. Then, the doorbell rang.

"Finally." Ginger muttered and quickly walked to the door.

She opened the door and was greeted with a kiss.

"Hey, babe." Orion smiled.

"Hey." Ginger replied with a wide smile. Her nose started twitching as the smell of smoke reached it. "What's that smell? Ori, I think you smell like smoke." Ginger gave a small cough.

"I do? Oh, I'm sorry. I passed by some bums on the way over here." Orion quickly explained.

"Didn't you drive over here?" Ginger looked over his shoulder at Orion's new car parked in her driveway.

"Uhh, yeah, I stopped by the store on the way here and there were some bums around. Anyway, let's get this party started." Orion said stepping into the house.

"Dodie and Macie aren't here yet, so I guess we could hang in my room until they get here." Ginger said.

"That's completely fine." Orion smirked and put his arms around Ginger. She coughed again.

"I think it's best if we leave this here, though..." Ginger turned Orion around, took off his jacket, and hung it on the coat rack.

"Good thinking." Orion smiled and took Ginger's hand into his. She smiled at his gesture and led him upstairs.

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><p><strong>[Another Author's Note: I hope that was good to you guys. Next chapter goes more into what Carl and Hoodsey have been doing lately. Oooh, it's a myyystery! <strong>

**... **

**...Okay, I'll go write it now.]**


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